NEW DELHI: The Congress leadership bit the Telangana bullet on Tuesday. It decided to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh to create a separate state of Telangana — a move that will be a loss to the politically muscular state but will be a gain for the Congress as it's expected to revive the party's fortunes in the state ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election. As reported by TOI on July 29, Hyderabad will remain the common capital of the splintered states for 10 years — a balancing act that recognizes Telangana's claim on the city but seeks to soften the blow to the opponents who were also concerned about the investments of coastal Andhra businesses in the capital. The Centre will help AP build a new capital. There are indications that a mechanism will be created to vest the governor with oversight of law and order in the city: an arrangement that falls short of turning the city into a Union Territory but reassures those worried about a sudden change in its character. The call on whether to include two districts of Rayalseema region, Ananthpur and Kurnool, will be taken later. The Congress leadership favours the idea but is wary of committing itself before fully assessing the fallout. The desire to do well in the Telangana region appears to be the main driver behind Tuesday's decision. While announcing the CWC's decision, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh triggered speculation of a merger of TRS with the Congress. Singh recalled TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao's declaration that he would merge his party with the Congress if the latter created Telangana. Pieces of the puzzle were fast falling in place when TRS chief Chandrashekhar Rao said that he was a man of his word. Political circles estimate that the Congress calculation is to sweep the Telangana region, which has 17 Lok Sabha seats, in alliance with the TRS. The numbers of Lok Sabha seats which the party can hope to win will swell to 21 if the districts of Ananthpur and Kurnool are clubbed with Telangana: a huge improvement for the party which had appeared to be a washout in the state.

Giving its nod to the division of AP after consultations with UPA partners, the CWC said that the Centre should take steps to form a separate state of Telangana. It further said that the Centre should institute a mechanism “to address the concerns of Andhra and Rayalseema on sharing of river waters, power and security of citizens”. The CWC also said that the Polavaram Irrigation Project should be declared a national project. The Congress is expected to act expeditiously in order to reap the goodwill in the Telangana region. There are indications that the Union Cabinet may decide on Thursday to request the President to ask the Andhra Pradesh legislature to adopt a resolution spelling out where it stands on the issue of bifurcation. The resolution of the state assembly will not be binding. Under the Constitution, the power to create new states and alter the boundaries of existing ones rests solely with Parliament. With the Congress firm on the creation of Telangana, the fate of the resolution may have little bearing on the outcome. The Congress's anxiety to clinch the issue swiftly was evident from the way AICC general secretaries Digvijay Singh and Ajay Maken sought to showcase steps taken by their party for the creation of Telangana. These included, the announcement of December 9, 2009, something which the party had virtually dumped in the face of resentment from the anti-Telangana camp. Although Congress leaders concede that the breakaway faction led by Jagan Mohan will remain the dominant formation in coastal and Rayalseema regions, they are banking on his professed desire to keep a distance from the BJP as well as legal troubles to hope that the Reddy Jr will not be averse to doing business post-poll.